MANCHESTER \u2014 A dream was realized for Caeden Herrington on Saturday afternoon with a single phone call.<\/p>\n
Standing in his Manchester home with his parents by his side, Herrington answered a call he had imagined for years \u2014 one from a National Hockey League general manager. On the other end of the line was Los Angeles Kings\u2019 GM Ken Holland, letting the 19-year-old know that the Kings were selecting him with their fourth-round pick, No. 120 overall, in the 2025 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a moment I\u2019m going to remember forever,\u201d Herrington said. \u201cYou grow up as a small kid in Manchester, Vermont \u2014 it\u2019s a dream to play in the NHL one day and get drafted into the NHL. I was kind of overwhelmed with emotions because of all the hard work you put in, the hard work your parents put in, the time with my siblings. All the time people spent to help get me to the point where I\u2019m at now. It was incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n
That dedication has been evident for more than a decade. At 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, Herrington has developed into one of the top defensemen in his class \u2014 a process years in the making.<\/p>\n
Hockey took him to Holderness School in Plymouth, New Hampshire ahead of his junior year in the fall of 2022, where he immediately made his presence felt in the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC). It was there that the dream of playing professionally began to feel like a legitimate possibility.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started to really find my game, and I felt like I was trending in the right direction,\u201d Herrington said. \u201cI took some huge developmental steps over my junior and senior year there.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Manchester’s Caeden Herrington was selected in the fourth round of Saturday’s NHL Draft by the Los Angeles Kings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Photo provided by Holderness School<\/p>\n
Those steps were reflected in his senior campaign, where Herrington led Holderness to its first-ever Lakes Region Championship and a second selection to the Elite Eight tournament. His contributions weren\u2019t just felt defensively. The blueliner racked up 49 points in 29 games \u2014 an elite mark for a defenseman \u2014 and was named NEPSAC Defenseman of the Year by the New England Hockey Journal, Neutral Zone, and U.S. Hockey Report.<\/p>\n
Despite that success, Herrington went undrafted in 2024 \u2014 his first year of eligibility \u2014 a moment he calls humbling but ultimately motivating.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast summer, not getting picked, it was definitely a reality check,\u201d he said. \u201cIt kept me humble and hungry. I knew I had to keep working. Thankfully, things worked out.\u201d<\/p>\n
They certainly did.<\/p>\n
After aging out of prep school, Herrington joined the Lincoln Stars of the United States Hockey League (USHL), the top junior league in the U.S. There, his stock as an NHL prospect continued to rise. He led all USHL defensemen with 16 goals and showed a maturity and versatility that caught the eyes of scouts league-wide.<\/p>\n
He describes himself as a \u201c200-foot defenseman\u201d who takes pride in his physical play in the defensive zone but also relishes joining the rush and contributing offensively.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love to defend and play hard in the d-zone. I like to lay body,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I also think I\u2019ve got a lot of offensive attributes. I like to jump up in the play and, as you can see, I like to put the puck in the net, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those instincts were honed from a young age and were shaped by long hours inside Riley Rink and on a backyard sheet of ice at his parents\u2019 home. His father, Cory Herrington, was the varsity head coach at Burr and Burton Academy from 2002 to 2013, winning a pair of state titles during his 11-year tenure.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was a rink rat growing up, to say the least,\u201d Caeden said. \u201cMy parents would have to drag me off the ice.\u201d<\/p>\n
He remembers being just four or five years old skating at BBA varsity practices. That early exposure lit a spark that\u2019s burned ever since.<\/p>\n
Cory stepped away from coaching at BBA to be able to coach Caeden in Manchester\u2019s youth hockey program, the Northshire Bulldogs. Caeden helped lead the Bulldogs to a pair of Vermont state championships \u2014 winning the 2015-16 Squirt A title and following that up with the Pee Wee A crown the following winter. Both teams finished as New England runner-ups.<\/p>\n
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The Northshire Bulldogs 2016-2017 Pee Wee A Vermont state championship team, featuring Caeden Herrington.\u00a0<\/p>\n